


whats the kindest way to say you took away my friend?

by VelvetDweams



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: The Festival, Tommy is mad, Tubbo is hurt ):, beating up children isn't cool, but children get beat up anyways, i want that juicy juicy clout boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:22:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27427138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VelvetDweams/pseuds/VelvetDweams
Summary: [(Summary: The fireworks are prettier when they're not killing your friends.)]
Relationships: Dave | Technoblade & TommyInnit, Niki | Nihachu & Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Kudos: 120





	whats the kindest way to say you took away my friend?

**Author's Note:**

> woOAAHHH!! take this cringe, boys. and please enjoy (: i had a lot of fun writing this!! also if any of ya'll want to read the alt ending I had for this let me know (:

"Wilbur..." Tommy says, his voice barely a whisper as he looks over at the deranged man. There's desperation there, a silent pleading to stop this whole thing right now before his best friend gets hurt. 

"Techno is on our side. He wouldn't hurt Tubbo," the man says, not entirely sure in what he's declaring himself. 

But as Tommy looks back to the stage, heart beating faster than ever, he knows it's a lie. 

"Tubbo, I'm... Tubbo, I'm sorry. I'll make it as painless and colorful as possible, Tubbo," the Blade is saying. He's going to hurt Tubbo. He's going to kill him. "Tubbo, I'm sorry." 

"Wilbur," Tommy says again, his voice rising frantically in fear. 

This time, the man says nothing. His gaze is locked onto the stage, watching as the masked man loads his crossbow. Tommy is gripping the edge of the building, every single thought in his mind telling him to get down there right now before it's too late. The firework is shot.

"Tubbo!" Tommy screams, his voice and many others lost to the bang of the firework. Tubbo's own terrified screams were drowned out as well. 

"Go, Tommy! Go, Tommy!" 

He was kicked into action, throwing the ender pearl at the stage. He takes a quick glance at the box before turning to Technoblade. 

"Techno, what the fuck!?" 

He pulls out his sword, swinging it above his head, but he only manages to graze the Blade's armor before the man is blocking him. 

"You killed him!" he shouts, gripping the handle of his sword. His eyes are water, and he inhales shakily. All the background noise seems to fade from his senses, whirling back to face the boxed-in area. 

"Tubbo!" he shouts again, clinging onto the fence that separates them. His mind is in shambles, staring at the corpse of his friend. "Tubbo..." he repeats, more shakey this time. He can hear more rockets going off behind him, the Blade shouting something about killing everyone. 

He had to get him out of there. He had to get him to safety. 

Tommy hacks away at the fence until he's able to squeeze past, kneeling to his friend.

"Tubbo..." he murmurs, his mind a broken record player with only one word in his mouth. With the gentlest of care, he scoops his best friend onto his back, trying to ignore the burning stench of flesh and hair that invades his senses. 

Tommy escapes through the back of the stage. The crushing weight of both his armor and the boy on his back slowed him down considerably. But he can't let that hold him back. If he falters once, Tubbo is going to die. He couldn't allow that. 

"We have to get out of here!" Technoblade is shouting in the distance. 

Where was Wilbur? Why wasn't this place blown to fucking smithereens already? What was taking so long? He stumbles down the hill, met at the foot by three people. Punk, Purpled, and Quackity. The vice-president is bleeding pretty bad, using something to lean against. 

"Kill Tommy," he commands. 

The two advance on him. He only grips his sword and rushes them, managing a few strikes just to push them back so he can run through. 

"Everyone, go after Tommy!" Quackity is shouting. 

The boy has blood staining his clothes, sweat dripping from every pore in his body. He's barely even reached the edge of Manburg before he's surrounded. And now there's nothing he can do but fight. 

He swings his sword around wildly, trying to do whatever he can to escape and to drive away the people. Tommy manages to get a good strike on a person, his sword burying deep into someone's gut. But another person takes that time to knock him off his feet. Tubbo falls from his back, a small gasp coming from his lips. He's still alive, the blonde tells himself. Tommy heard that. He's still breathing, but he won't be if he can't get him out of here. 

The boy stares up into the face of Purpled, the man's sword only inches from his gut. 

"Tubbo..." he says shakily, tears streaming freely down his face mixed in with dirt and grime. 

The sword is shoved into his stomach. His mind short circuits, trying to comprehend the pain he's in. He only lets out the tiniest of noises when it's yanked back out. He gingerly touches his gut, blood coating his fingers. 

He had to move before they could get another strike in. 

Abandoning his stuff, he scoops Tubbo right in his arms and runs. The people being stunned for a split second that he was even still able to move. 

He makes his escape, collapsing inside a house. He leans back against the red bed, breathing heavily through his mouth. His thoughts are trying to wrap around what happened. 

Moving is painful, but he leans Tubbo against the bed and gets back up. He lost everything in his escape, and so he searches through the chests for something, anything that could help them with their wounds. With some items in hand, he limps back over to Tubbo. But his vision is going hazy, and he is starting to shake violently. 

"I want... to... Go back to Pogtopia," Tubbo whispers, catching Tommy off guard. 

"You want to go back?" Tommy asks, settling back down next to his friend. The two were basically sitting in a pool of their own blood that was only going to get larger if the only coherent one didn't do something quick. 

He was no medic, and he had no idea what he was doing, only mimicking what he'd seen before, and that was applying the bandages to his wounds. It would have to work for now. Saving Tubbo's life was more important. 

Trembling, he went to work, trying to ignore the sickness worming its way into his stomach. 

When he was done, he collapsed back down next to him, pulling his friend's head onto his shoulder. 

"Where... is Wilbur?" he murmurs, eyes drooping. 

He tried to keep himself awake, tried so hard, but the adrenaline was running low. Tommy closed his eyes and feared he wouldn't reopen them. 

\----

He sits next to the bed, staring at the sleeping boy with hollow eyes. His thoughts are scrambled, his body heavy. Why wasn't Tubbo waking up? How long had it been? The boy has lost track of time. 

Sometimes, Nihachu would come in with her soft words, trying to coax him away from his friend. He wouldn't budge. He needed to be here when Tubbo finally woke up. 

At least, that's what he wanted.

"Just through here," he hears Wilbur saying, leading someone into the room. He balls his fist into the blankets, narrowing his eyes. 

"There's a light," comes the deep, monotonous voice of Technoblade. 

"Tommy." 

The two men stand in the doorway, and he can feel their eyes boring into the back of his neck. 

"I'd thought you'd be asleep by now," Wilbur says.

"Don't bring him in here," Tommy mutters, "Get him the fuck out of here. Right now." 

"He has the right to be here," Wilbur says, his voice calm. The bastard was probably smiling.

"No, he doesn't." 

Tommy gets up from his chair, whirling around to face the two men. He gives both of them heated stares, feeling light-headed from moving too fast. 

"How can you be so buddy-buddy with him! He _murdered_ Tubbo!" Tommy shouts, voice cracking. There's no response from either of them before Wilbur starts snickering.

"Oh, watch out, Techno! Little Tommy is mad! The child is angry!" Wilbur laughs, leaning against Technoblade, "He's pissed." 

Tommy stares at Wilbur, gritting his teeth. He wants to say something, but he doesn't want to give in to this bastard's goading. 

"Go on. Say something," the brunette says, grin wicked. The younger boy stays silent, only giving them that same heated look. 

"What's going on?" Niki asks, her voice soft as she approaches the room. 

Nobody answers. The blonde is biting into his lip, doing his best to not lose his temper at them again. Though, they make it extremely difficult with their stupid giggling and goading. They want him angry. They want to make him upset for their own sick amusement. 

"Why'd you shoot him?" Tommy asks, barely keeping the heat of anger from his tone. He needs to remain calm. 

"Well, I was under peer pressure. You have to understand," Techno says, adjusting that stupid mask that he was always wearing. 

"You can't- You can't just do it, Techno! There's so much more to that. Do you just bend-? What the fu... What's wrong with you?" The boy asks, stuttering over his sentences and words as he tries to get all his thoughts out in a controlled manner. Tommy steps towards them, Wilbur moved to stand next to Niki. 

"Uh, a lot of things, really. Bad attention span, bad at conversation, don't really deal with social conversations well..." 

A smile breaks across Tommy's expression, but not one caused by happiness and cheer. He smiled from the thinly veiled frustration, from sleepless nights at Tubbo's side, from soundless tears shed - it was a smile that showed that he was on the verge of a breakdown. 

"Might've just committed tax-fraud," Techno continues talking, but Tommy cuts him off. 

"Techno, you killed Tubbo! You shot him when you were _asked_ to by the president! And it wasn't even your president!" Tommy is shouting, the temper he had been trying to hold back earlier flooding through. 

"He had a lot of authority," Technoblade says, but the younger boy doesn't listen. 

"He's just some in... insane guy! Some supervillain!" Tommy snaps, rubbing his face with his hands. He doesn't understand this man's logic at all. 

"I had to follow their orders," The Blade says, "There was like... Twenty guys there who would have jumped me if I hadn't."

Tommy can hear it. In the tone of his voice. He doesn't care, laughing and snickering, holding back how amused he was at this situation. It makes him ball his fast. 

"You have- You can literally fly! You have the power!"

"It wasn't raining," Technoblade points out, but once more, Tommy ignores him.

"You can fly, literally!" 

"I can only fly in the rain, Tommy! It's my one weakness!" the masked man says, placing a hand against his chest as his voice raises as to not be drowned out by the other once more. Tommy goes silent, shaking his head as Technoblade looks past him and looks at the boy he'd basically given a death sentence to. 

"You fucked up, man," the blonde is muttering, "You fucked up." 

He would have hit the pig right then and there, but suddenly Wilbur is in between them. He's saying something about them holding on, that he needs to talk to Niki for a second. That they should continue arguing, but don't stop throwing punches just yet.

He's back at Nihachu's side in an instant, grinning at her. 

"I just had the most brilliant idea," he's telling her. 

"Just leaving me, Wilbur?" Technoblade looks past his shoulder at them.

"No- No. I'll be back, I'll be back," Wilbur laughs, grabbing the woman by her arm, "I just want to talk to Niki for a second." And then the two of them were out of the room, leaving Technoblade, Tommy, and the comatose Tubbo by themselves. 

"Give me your armor."

"I'm not giving you my armor," the man says. 

"Give me your fucking armor, Techno, you're not even a part of Pogtopia anymore. You're just another fucking Jschlatt... Jschlatt follower!" Tommy accuses. 

"I'm an _anarchist_ ," Technoblade counters. 

The boy continues rambling on, as if he hadn't heard the other, "You're just a... You're just a follower-" Tommy pauses, raising an eyebrow before letting out a small laugh as Technoblade's words just registered in his mind. "You're not an anarchist! You just bent to democracy! That's literally the complete opposite!" 

"To be fair, I shout at everyone." 

Tommy's response dies on his lips as Wilbur and Niki return. Niki is frowning, staring at the ground, Wilbur smiling like a madman. He doesn't give him the attention, though, turning back to Technoblade. 

"You completely just betrayed all of us! You betrayed Tubbo! And-And-And everyone!" Tommy continues stumbling through his words as the frustration continues to grow. 

"We could weaken them," Wilbur whispers to Niki, "We could _weaken_ them." He seems ecstatic, enough so that it draws the two men's attention to him.

"Who are we weakening?" Techno asks. His question goes unanswered, Wilbur looking past him and at Tommy.

"Tommy, I don't know about, but I could forgive Technoblade! I could forgive Technoblade in a heartbeat, yeah." 

Tommy sputters, but he should have been expecting that from Wilbur. "Well, I don't forgive Technoblade!" 

"I do," the brunette says, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"What the hell?" 

"I forgive him," the man is nodding.

"Tubbo is dying because of him! When the old-" he turns his attention to Nihachu, giving on Wilbur. There was nothing he was going to say that would have changed anything, anyway. "Niki, what do you think?" he asks. 

"Wha- What would you do about it?" Wilbur asks, interrupting whatever Niki was going to say. 

"I want him to leave! I want him to get the hell out of here! Go be next to _your_ president," Tommy answers readily, glaring at Technoblade. 

The man actually fucking _smiles_ as he says, "Do you really think you can take Manberg back without my help, Tommy?" 

Letting out a frustrated noise, Tommy swings at the man and shouts, "Go be next to your president!" Technoblade calmly steps out of the way before coming into Tommy's personal space and grabbing his wrist so he wouldn't be able to throw another punch. 

"Do you think you can _destroy_ Manberg without my help?" he repeats in an amused tone, staring down at Tommy. The boy is helpless, only able to stare back. He releases Tommy, taking a few steps away from him. Tommy inhales sharply, rubbing his wrist and dropping his gaze to the ground.

"Just... Just go be next to your president, man." 

Wilbur looks at Tubbo, and in a mocking tone that conveys sadness, he said, "I wonder what he would think. I bet he'd say how much he fucking hates you, Technoblade. That'd he wants to see you hurting just as much as he is right now. I wonder how he feels, getting murdered in front of a crowd by the person he thought he could trust." 

"I just joined your cause to destroy the government, alright?" 

"You... You just followed the government!" Tommy points out, and Technoblade goes to say something, but Tommy doesn't let him, "You followed him... You followed _Jschlatt_!" 

Again before Technoblade can get a word out, poor fellow, Wilbur is saying something. "I think I have a way to resolve this. I told Niki my wonderful idea." The two look at him, interested in his proposal. "How about I get a combat pit up and running?" He notes the interest that sparks between the two. "Follow me." 

He turns and leads them from the room, Tommy pausing a bit and looking back at Tubbo. 

"Wake up soon..." 

\----

"Can we talk in private?" Niki asks Tommy, eyes glancing in Wilbur's direction. 

"Ok..." Tommy agrees, happy to get out of the room with Wilbur and Technoblade in it. She leads him to a small area in the cavern, letting out a sniffle as she tries to get a hold of her emotions. 

"How's your stomach wound?" she asks, keeping her back turned to him. 

"It's healing just fine, I guess... Hurts if I move too much, though," Tommy answers. 

"To-Tommy..." she whispers, "I've been getting very... very weird vibes from Wilbur. Is he ok?" 

Tommy's expression softens, just a little, and his gaze is back on the floor. He lets out a shaky breath before looking up at Niki. She's turned around, facing him, on the verge of tears.

"No," the boy answers bluntly, "No, he's not. He's gone fucking insane. He was about to blow up Manberg."

"It's _his_ country!" 

"He's... He's making a combat pit for us." 

Niki's voice cracks as she says, "What happened...? I... I don't understand. I-"

"He's- He's become the villain, Niki," Tommy states. 

"Oh, no..." She brings her hands up to her mouth, covering it as she shakes her head, "Oh my... Oh my god..." 

"He doesn't even care that Technoblade shot Tubbo... cuz... he just doesn't care." It was the sad reality that Tommy didn't want to face. He didn't want it to come to this. But it did... 

"I-I-I-I'm just happy Tubbo hasn't died yet," Nihachu says, pulling Tommy into a hug, "I was so worried. For you, too. When they carried you back to Pogtopia... There was so much blood... It was so scary!" 

Tommy hugs her back, pressing his face into her shoulder. He wasn't going to break down here. Tommy wasn't going to cry, not in front of her, not when the boy was about to fight Technoblade. IF he was. 

"Let's go back, Niki." 

"Ok... Ok, let's go back," she murmurs, releasing him. 

She walks in front of him, brushing away the few tears she had shed. 

"We're back," Nihachu announces from the doorway, looking at Wilbur. The man seemed to have been joking and being all buddy-buddy with Technoblade once more. 

"Oh! Good, you're back," Wilbur says, saying it more to Tommy than Niki, "Well, get in there, Techno and Tommy! I say armorless and without shields, yeah?"

The blonde doesn't have either of those things, bitterly noting that he lost it back at the festival. 

"Look at him! Already ready and eager!" 

"Why armorless and without shields?" Techno asks, his mouth turned down into a little frown. 

"Well..." Wilbur starts to say, going on to explain it. Technoblade makes a few counterarguments, but ultimately, it comes down to being just a fistfight with no shields, armor, or weapons. 

"You ready, boys?" Wilbur asks, wrapping his arms around their shoulders and pushing them towards the pit. He notices a small bit of hesitation from Tommy's side, and to his surprise, Technoblade's side. He just needed to fuel the fires some more.

"Tommy, think about what he did to your friend. Think about what he did to your poor defenseless buddy Tubbo!" Wilbur whispers into his ear, waiting to the agonized expression rip across Tommy's face. 

"I think Tubbo would understand my actions," Technoblade says, "He would understand that it was only us three and that we were outnumbered." 

Tommy opens his mouth to dispute that, but Technoblade continues talking, and despite how much the boy doesn't want to believe him, the masked man's words make sense. Wilbur can see it. The more Technoblade talks, the more his words take hold of Tommy's head and heart. 

"And how do you know? Tubbo's on his deathbed as we talk, barely clinging onto life. Who knows when he'll wake up," Wilbur interjects, grinning slyly when Tommy's face scrunches up as he glares at the pig.

"What!? We could have taken back Manberg! You literally betrayed Tubbo!" 

The Blade snorts and asks, "How could we have taken down Manberg?"

"Well, if you hadn't shot Tubbo, Schlatt wasn't wearing any armor! And neither was Quackity! You literally only had Fundy and Punz to kill." 

"...10 seconds to betray, to be fair," Techno was saying, the first bit of his sentence drowned out by Tommy's loud voice.

"Ok. Woah! Thank you for being fair, Technoblade," the boy responds sarcastically, pushing away from Wilbur and him. "What the fuck..." he mutters, watching as Technoblade climbs down into the pit, stalking to a fair corner. The black cavities of Technoblade's mask lock with Tommy's eyes. 

If he climbed in, there would be no turning back. This would change things for the near and far future. He could have turned around, walked back to the room where his friend laid in his comatose state. He could be back at his side until he awakened. Wilbur could have groaned at Tommy's hesitation, but he doesn't. He instead grabs the younger by his arm, whispers, "For Tubbo, your right-hand man," and pushes him into the pit. 

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Technoblade asks, but once more, his question goes unanswered. Tommy glances up at Wilbur, seeing that stupid grin on his face. 

"Fortunately, Tubbo would have been so mature in this situation... Unfortunately for him, Tommy isn't as mature as him, isn't that right?" Wilbur asks. "That's why he can't be president," the man reiterates that fucking quote once more, "He follows his emotions too strongly, he gets too angry at things. He doesn't-" Wilbur pauses, snickering, "Look at him-! Look at him! Even after it's likely Tubbo would have forgiven Technoblade, Tommy still went into the pit to fight him in hand-to-hand combat." 

The brunette laughs, "This is a man driven by his emotions, not by political goals. _Look at him._ " 

Tommy wished Wilbur would just shut up, that the sound of the zombies nearby would drown out his voice that has just gotten so annoying lately.

"I... I say Tommy throws the first punch. I wanna see this... When you're ready, of course, Tommy." 

The blonde is still silent, biting on the inside of his lip and seizing up his opponent. The masked man simply shakes his head and asks once more, "Are you sure you want to do this, Tommy?" 

The boy looks at the two people watching. Wilbur is leaning against a wall, arms crossed over his chest as he stares at them with narrowed eyes. Niki is behind him, shaking her head and silently pleading with him to not go through with this. 

"We can settle out feelings with our first, but when we come out of her, win or lose, no hard feelings," Technoblade says, "It stays in the pit." 

"It stays in the pit," Wilbur repeats in a giddy tone.

"You killed Tubbo, Techno," Tommy spats.

"It stays in the pit," The pig-lord repeats himself. 

"You killed my right-hand man. And you referred to Jschlatt as Mr. President," Tommy grumbles.

"Technically, Tubbo isn't dead yet. And Jschlatt is a president. Even if I'm not part of his country, it's still a title." 

"Do it! Do it! Kill him! Kill him! Punch him!" Wilbur is shouting in this hushed tone, probably jumping up and down on his heels with glee. 

"I'm not doing this for Wilbur. None of this is for Wilbur anymore. You betrayed us, Techno. You betrayed us..." The boy says, voice cracking as he stares at the older man he'd once consider a friend. 

"I was peer pressured." 

"You can't," Tommy lets out a burst of laughter, "You can't just keep saying that!" 

"But there were like twenty guys! They would have shot me where I stood." 

"That again?" Tommy groans, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "You can literally fly." 

"It wasn't raining." 

That seems to break something in Tommy. He curls his hand back into a fist and looks at Technoblade. 

"I'm tired of these bullshit lies!" the teen shouts, throwing the first punch. He catches Technoblade in the jaw, but the man barely flinches, let alone move from his spot. 

"Yes!" Wilbur shouts, rushing to the edge of the pit, "Yes!" 

The man takes the punch, letting out a soft exhale. 

"I'll make this quick," he promises, empty sockets staring down at heated and hollow eyes. He knew Tommy had no way of winning this, that this was all in vain as the smaller boy stumbled, scrapping and struggling, punching, kicking, and biting. Technoblade makes sure that every advancement that the younger tries to make is met with a devastating blow to deter him, to force him on to the defensive. But Tommy doesn't give in, clumsily dodging and fighting back with everything he could.

Technoblade found it admirable but sad. The outcome was visible from the beginning. 

In a feral and last resort, Tommy aims for the head again, but he leaves himself completely open. Techonblade catches hand, squeezing onto the hand as he buries his fist into the boy's gut. The pig can see blood soaking through the white cloth, staining the leather gloves that Technoblade wears. He grimaces, but he doesn't stop there. He kicks Tommy in the back of his knees, sweeping him off his feet and bringing him into a kneeling position. 

"Give in," the man commands. 

"Get it out, Tommy! Think about what he did!" Wilbur eggs them on. 

"You took away Tubbo. You took away my right-hand man, my _best friend_ ,"Tommy whispers, voice hoarse and scratchy. 

"Ah, there we go!" 

Technoblade frowns, releasing the grip on Tommy's hand only to grab his wrist and yank him forward. He strikes the younger boy in the face, over and over. Technoblade laxes the grip once more, staring at the boy's face that he had just brutalized. 

"It stays in the pit," he says. His voice sounds sad, maybe even tinged with slight regret, and what's exposed of his face is matching just that. Tommy doesn't want to believe it, though. He wants to blame it on the ringing in his ears, on the blood, making him squint his eyes so that he could hardly see because that must be it. Technoblade wouldn't feel regret about murder. He wouldn't be sad that he just shot Tubbo. 

"Tom... Tommy?" came a quiet and confused voice. 

Everybody looks over at the entrance, at the dark-haired boy who leans against the wall and stares at them. He's wrapped in bandages, almost like a mummy, and Tommy might have found it funny at a different time... But now, it just made him angry. 

"Oh, so glad you could join us! Come! Watch the show," Wilbur says, gesturing to the spot next to him. 

"Tub..bo..." Tommy mumbles through a mouth full of blood, looking back up at Technoblade. "You.. betrayed Tubbo," he chokes out, bitterness and anger dying out. 

"It stays in the pit," Technoblade repeats, bloodied fist raised as he strikes Tommy once more in the face. The boy's eyes roll into the back of his head, going limp where he kneeled. 

"Tommy!" Tubbo screams, rushing to the edge of the pit, only to be held back by Wilbur. 

Technoblade kneels, scooping the unconscious boy into his arms.

"We're going to need a medic," he says. 

\---

Tommy sits next to Tubbo on the bench, huffing as he crosses his arms. 

"Isn't it amazing?" the boy asks, barely able to stay still as he stares up at the fireworks. 

"Sure," comes Tommy's curt reply, furrowing his brows. Something seemed wrong, nagging at the back of his mind. He ignores it, though. He doesn't need to worry about anything with Tubbo by his side. 

"Is something wrong? Don't you think the fireworks are pretty?" Tubbo asks. 

"Maybe... They're prettier when they're not being shot at you," Tommy says, without thinking. He doesn't understand the words that just came from his mouth.

"Huh?" And apparently, neither did Tubbo. 

Tommy opens his mouth, apparently going to say something, but nothing comes out. No matter how hard he tries, he's voice is gone. 

"Tommy?" 

The boy looks over at his friend, heart beating wildly in his chest. He knows what he's going to see, but he can't look away, meeting his friend's gaze. He's covered in blood and soot, burns covering exposed flesh on his chest and side of his face. He's grinning in a reminiscent way of Wilbur's crazed-grin. 

"It's your fault I got hurt," Tubbo says, leaning in close, "It's your fault. You could have saved me... You could have stopped Technoblade in his tracks, but you didn't. You wanted to see what would happen, and this is what would happen. I'm dead because you hesitated, Tommy. How does it feel? Knowing _you_ killed your right-hand man?"

Tommy shakes his head, mouth clamped shut. Both Technoblade and Wilbur walked from the shadows, Wilbur with his crazed smile and his TNT, Technoblade with the crossbow that shot dozens of people. They stare at Tommy, gazes judgemental. 

" _Your best friend?"_

Tubbo had gotten so close, and Tommy had scooted so far back that he ended falling off the bench, but he never hit the ground. 

The blonde boy wakes up in cold sweat, scrambling into a sitting position. He grasps at the bedsheets, trying to control his breathing as he looks around the room. He gets his bearings, blinking away the tears and any remnants of the nightmare. 

"Hmm..." there comes a voice from the end of the bed, a sleepy and exhausted voice. There at the edge of the bed is Tubbo. His head is resting on his arms, and he seems to be deep in his sleep. Tommy lets out a sharp inhale, finding himself losing his voice just like in the dream. 

_Tubbo was alive._

With a gentleness unlike Tommy has ever shown, the boy reaches out. He's slow, hesitant, hands shaking. He needs to confirm it. Confirm that Tubbo is alive. That his right-hand man is there. That this isn't another dream. 

His fingers trace over the scar on the side of his face, eyes watering. He feels like retracting his hand, but he continues, running his fingers up. The boy is scared that if he stops touching the other that he'll disappear. His hands find hair, and he runs his fingers through. It's messy and unkempt. 

"Tommy..." 

So, he wasn't as deep in his sleep as the boy had formerly thought. 

Tubbo opens his eyes, squinting them as he looks at Tommy. 

"You look terrible," the boy giggles, sleepily snuggling his face back into his arms. Tommy smiles before breaking into laughter. There's a sharp pain, though, causing him to retract his arm and groan. 

"I feel terrible," Tommy chuckles, rubbing his jaw. 

Tubbo lets out a yawn, stretching his arms and leaning back. 

"You took quite a beating," The brunette says. 

"Yeah..." 

Tommy's hands drop into his lap, and he stares down at them.

"This isn't right," the blonde suddenly snaps. 

"He's gone crazy," Tubbo mutters.

"He's gone crazy," Tommy parrots, eyes hollow. 

They had known it from the beginning, and as much as the two young boys wanted to ignore, they couldn't anymore. 

"Tommy? Tubbo?" Niki asks, knocking on the door, "Can I come in?"

The two boys quickly glance at each other before looking towards the door.

"Yeah... Come in," Tommy answers. 

Nihachu walks in, her footsteps soft as she hangs her head.

"I overheard you two talking," she starts to say.

"He's gone fucking crazy," Tommy says, "You can see it, right?" 

"I... I can see it," she nods her head, trying to keep her emotions at bay. She doesn't want to cry anymore. She wants to be tough. "I... Tommy, Technoblade wants to see you. He has something for you."

"Is Wilbur with him?" 

Niki nods her head in response. Tommy grits his teeth, gripping the bed sheets once more.

"Let them in..."

Niki nods her head once more, not trusting herself to speak as she goes and gets the older men. Wilbur comes waltzing in, hands in his pockets as the Blade trails behind him.

"Tommy, I know you're angry at Techno-" Wilbur starts to speak.

"You shot him," Tommy seethes. 

"It stays in the pit," Techno says. 

"It wasn't in the fucking pit! It was in front of everybody because of ''pressure''!" Tommy snaps, voice raising once more. Technoblade looks at Tommy, eyes boring into him. 

"The conflict has been resolved." 

Wilbur snickers at how tense everything suddenly became in the room. 

"I don't have... I don't have time for it. You guys have fun. You guys have your fun, alright? I'll be back," the madman says, waving his hands as he goes to leave the room.

"Alright Wilbur, we can begin our plot," the pig says with a grin.

"We don't-" Tommy starts to speak. 

"I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship," Techno says once Wilbur left the room. It's useless saying anything. The adults won't listen to him. 

"Oh. Right. I came here to bring you your stuff." Technoblade walks over, dropping a bag of stuff into Tommy's lap. "And there are some extra items in there." 

Bitterly, Tommy responds with, "Thanks," as he looks through the items. 

"Techno...?" Tommy pauses, sharply looking up at the man. 

"So you found it, huh? I think it might have been the button to destroy Manberg." 

Tubbo lets out a small gasp as Tommy pulls a button from the sack. 

"Did you destroy the button?" The blonde asks.

This causes Technoblade to let out a chuckle, "I- No. No. I have no idea how I got that." 

"That's a strangely ominous thing to say..." Tommy says, obviously doubting the words coming from this traitor's mouth. 

Technoblade chuckles again, nervously messing with his gloves. 

"I actually- Tommy, I have no idea how I got that."

"Uh..." Tubbo says, eyeing the button.

"A lot of people lost their stuff," Techno points out.

"That is really..." Tommy trails off, lost for words.

"Blade...?" Tubbo asks. 

Technoblade suddenly straightens back up, huffing as he says, "I could make like fifty- Enough with the questions, alright?" He turns, going to leave the room. This left the other three sputtering over their words, trying to form their thoughts. Technoblade sighs, stopping at the doorway.

"Tommy, do you really think I would stop mass destruction?" 

"Well, I didn't think- I thought you would have stopped yourself from harming Tubbo at the hands of Jschlatt's orders... But you still did," Tommy quickly snaps back.

"Stays in the pit."

"It wasn't in the pit."

"You wished to resolve our conflict in the pit. _You_ threw the first punch," Technoblade argues.

"It didn't resolve our conflict," Tommy states the obvious.

"Then what was it all for?"

Tommy falls silent, as he tends to when he can't think of a good comeback, but he doesn't need to for the Blade continues talking on. 

"Tommy, the thing is, you're using words. But the thing about this world is that the only universal language is violence, and we've had that conversation. We've spoken that language in the pit. It's over Tommy, onto a new day. A new plot... To destroy Manberg," Technoblade lets out a deep laugh, leaving the room. 

Tommy glares at the doorway and says, "You're right Techno. It's over." He turns his attention back to Niki and Tubbo, the anger still boiling in his stomach.

"We have to stick together... This is just fucked."

Niki nods her head, saying, "Yes... I-I..." she trails off, and Tommy continues on talking. 

"I mean Wil - Ok - Will has gone crazy. All he wants is violence and pain, and he's just-" Tommy inhales sharply, "He's had his golden days, and now he wants to take away everyone else's." 

"I don't know what to do," Niki admits. 

"Techno literally - He doesn't... It doesn't matter to him. He just wants to be on the side that causes the most destruction." 

"That's right. Techno killed-" Nihachu looks over at Tubbo, "He hurt Tubbo." 

"He shot Tubbo..."

"I got hurt. That did happen," Tubbo laughs, playing with the edges of his shirt. 

"Yeah..." Tommy chuckles along, but it quickly dies out, "We've gotta... We gotta stick- I don't know what the plan is from here... But we've gotta stick with them." 

"We'll figure something out because..." she pauses, stifling a sob, "This can't be happening... This can't be happening..." she mumbles to herself. 

Tubbo suddenly perks up, getting up from his chair.

"Does anybody have a jukebox?" he asks. His question is met with silence, so he continues talking, "I think we should listen to some tunes." 

"Do... You have any discs?" 

"There's an ender chest upstairs. I'll go grab one!" Tubbo cheerfully says, getting up and leaving.

"But... We're not going to get anywhere, are we?" Tommy mutters.

"What are we supposed to do?" Niki asks.

The boy shakes his head, "We can't get anywhere, but we can't give up now... But I-I-"

Niki cuts him off, grabbing his hand and saying, "No! Of course, Tommy... We need L'manberg back. We fought so hard for it." Her expression, her sudden leaps in spirit, helps Tommy's confidence come back.

"You're right. I need to go find Technoblade." 

\---

Tommy approaches that masked man who seemed to be talking with Wilbur. He doesn't care, interrupting them. 

"You're right," he starts to say, "It stays in the pit. I forgive you for betraying us." 

Wilbur, who looked annoyed at getting interrupted, suddenly has this shit-eating grin on his face as he straightens up from his slumped position. 

"That is the best thing I've heard all day. Oh my god... Wait, so Tommy, does this mean you're going to allow chaos? We're not here to relocate power... We're here to make sure there's no more power to be had." 

"Not happening," Tommy snaps. 

"I want to leave this country in a crater from which it can never be rebuilt," Technoblade chimes in, a dangerous smile on his face.

"Now we're talking!" Wilbur giggles, wrapping an arm around Techno's shoulders. 

"No, I-" Tommy stutters, "This isn't what I want... And I'm not going to allow it." 

Wilbur stares down Tommy, but the boy doesn't move. He doesn't flinch, meeting the heated gaze with one of his own. 

"You can leave now, Tommy. I still have a business to discuss with Techno." 

Tommy doesn't need to be told twice, going to go look for the other two. 

"Oh! You're here!" Tubbo says, holding onto a red disc. The original one... "Ready to listen to some music?" 

Tommy nods, sitting down next to Tubbo. Niki sits on his other side. The music starts playing, the sun lingering in the sky.

"Wilbur is a monster. He's gone insane... And... And Techno just wants blood... We can't go down now... We're together, right?" Tommy asks, voice cracking. 

"Yes, we are," Niki agrees, Tubbo humming in agreement.

"We can't lose now," the boy states. 

"We can figure something out, as long as we stick together," Niki says.

"Yeah!" Tubbo chimes in.

"And we gotta stick together," Tommy says, almost breathless as he watches the sunset.

"Fuck..." 

Niki pulls the two boys into an embrace. Tommy hugs her back, just as he had done before, shoving his face into her shoulder. 

"It's going to be alright," she whispers to them, holding them. 

Very quietly, squeezing onto the fabric of her shirt, Tommy whispers, "Fuck..." 


End file.
